A Harsh Necessity
Cruelty, including unintentional cruelty, can reveal things about a character’s situation and motivate their actions. Even social concepts such as the American Dream can be a form of cruelty, causing despair when a person or family cannot meet those ideals. Examples of this can be found in the play Death of a Salesman, where acts of unintentional cruelty drive the story forward, and where the ideals of the American Dream prove to do more harm than good. It can be argued that most of the cruelty witnessed in Death of a Salesman is unintentional. Aside from Willy’s actions, which could be considered more complicated because of his mental instability, Biff’s decision to leave home and Howard firing Willy from his job can also be considered unintentionally cruel. Though Biff …show more content…
A social ideal, such as the American Dream, can be harsh as well. A family may maintain a façade of happiness and normality in order to fit into a society where anything against the norm is frowned upon. The American Dream is based upon “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Adams, 308). However, not everyone does have the same opportunities presented to them, as Biff experiences when he is away from home and cannot make enough money to bring home to his parents. Unfortunately, his parents do not realize this, and misinterpret his lack of success as him not working hard enough. Though cruelty causes despair and distress in others, it can be an opportunity to advance. It became a crucial device for Biff especially, and influenced his character greatly. The cruelty of an ideal can put stress on an entire household as well, as they strive for a normality that seems nearly unattainable with their current family dynamic. The concept of cruelty overall seems bittersweet; though someone may be
Cruelty, including unintentional cruelty, can reveal things about a character’s situation and motivate their actions. Even social concepts such as the American Dream can be a form of cruelty, causing despair when a person or family cannot meet those ideals. Examples of this can be found in the play Death of a Salesman, where acts of unintentional cruelty drive the story forward, and where the ideals of the American Dream prove to do more harm than good. It can be argued that most of the cruelty witnessed in Death of a Salesman is unintentional. Aside from Willy’s actions, which could be considered more complicated because of his mental instability, Biff’s decision to leave home and Howard firing Willy from his job can also be considered unintentionally cruel. Though Biff …show more content…
A social ideal, such as the American Dream, can be harsh as well. A family may maintain a façade of happiness and normality in order to fit into a society where anything against the norm is frowned upon. The American Dream is based upon “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Adams, 308). However, not everyone does have the same opportunities presented to them, as Biff experiences when he is away from home and cannot make enough money to bring home to his parents. Unfortunately, his parents do not realize this, and misinterpret his lack of success as him not working hard enough. Though cruelty causes despair and distress in others, it can be an opportunity to advance. It became a crucial device for Biff especially, and influenced his character greatly. The cruelty of an ideal can put stress on an entire household as well, as they strive for a normality that seems nearly unattainable with their current family dynamic. The concept of cruelty overall seems bittersweet; though someone may be